﻿Water tanks of major hospitals spreading diseases

KARACHI: The water tanks in major public hospitals, particularly underground, are not properly maintained since last several years. The visiting patients have been compelled to drink contaminated water of these tanks in healthcares, it was emerged on Thursday.

An official of Sindh’s largest tertiary care hospital, well known as Civil Hospital Karachi(CHK), said that the underground water tanks of healthcare have not been maintained or cleaned by the hospital administration since past several years, causing water-borne diseases among patients.

He said 3500 to 4000 patients from Karachi, interior Sindh and Balochistan visit different OPDs of the hospital every day. The visiting patients and their attendants have been compelled to drink polluted water of underground water tanks, while some patients and their attendants use mineral water to avoid water-borne diseases. The contaminated water is also being supplied to various departments of the hospital and staff colony.

On the other hands, the overhead tanks and underground tanks in Jinnah Hospital Karachi, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Services Hospital Karachi, National Institute of Child Health, Sindh Government Hospital, Karachi Municipal Corporation dispensaries and maternity homes have not been maintained or cleaned over the last several years due to slackness of heads of healthcare centres.

President Pakistan Paramedical Staff Association (PPMSA) Sindh Niaz Hussain Bhutto said underground water tanks and overhead tanks in major public hospitals across the Sindh province are not being maintained properly. He said even pure water is not available in Sindh’s hospitals for patients.

He said consumption of contaminated can develop water-borne diseases among patients and their attendants. He said people are compelled to purchase mineral water from medical stores for drinking. He demanded of the provincial health department officials and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board high ups to ensure supply of chlorinated water to government hospitals in Karachi to prevent patients from contracting various diseases.